Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Sensitivity to Toxic Metal Ions in Yeast

doi:10.1006/taap.1997.8271

Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology

Volume 147, Issue 2, December 1997, Pages 312-318

https://doi.org/10.1006/taap.1997.8271 Get rights and content

Abstract

Contamination of the environment has made toxic metal ions a major health issue. The use of yeasts as model systems for the identification of molecular mechanisms that control sensitivity to these agents is particularly attractive because of the ease of genetic manipulation and the availability of the completeSaccharomyces cerevisiaegenomic sequence. This paper reviews information on those genes and mechanisms that have been identified in both the budding yeastS. cerevisiaeand the fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombeas being capable of modulating sensitivity to important toxic metals. The factors that influence sensitivity to toxic metal ions include cellular thiols (glutathione, phytochelatins, labile sulfide, and metallothioneins) and the products of genes directly and indirectly involved in the transport or sequestration of the metal ion. A complete understanding of the molecular basis of sensitivity to toxic metal ions in lower organisms is expected to provide useful insights in the metal ion detoxification pathways and diseases related to these pathways in humans.

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¹: To whom correspondence should be addressed at present address: Experimental Oncology B, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy.

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Regular ArticleMolecular Mechanisms Controlling Sensitivity to Toxic Metal Ions in Yeast

Abstract

FEBS Lett.

Exp. Cell. Res.

FEMS Microbiol. Rev.

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

Cell

J. Biol. Chem.

Cell

Trends Biotechnol.

Meth. Enzymol.

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

Arch. Biochem. Biophys.

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Plasmid

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

Lancet

J. Biol. Chem.

Genomics

J. Biol. Chem.

J. Biol. Chem.

The CUP2 gene product, regulator of yeast metallothionein expression, is a copper-activated DNA-binding protein

Mol. Cell Biol.

Isolation of a candidate gene for Menkes disease that encodes a potential heavy metal binding protein

Nature Genet.

Pharmacological characterization of multidrug resistant MRP-transfected human tumor cells

Cancer Res.

Regular Article
Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Sensitivity to Toxic Metal Ions in Yeast